The Xichengyi Site in Zhangye City, Gansu

Abstract

AbstractThe Xichengyi Site covering areas about 35ha in total is located in the middle of the Hexi Corridor. In the excavations from 2010 through 2013, areas covering 1350sq m have been excavated, the remains recovered from which were dated as around 4100-3600 BP, lasting from the late Machang Culture, the Xichengyi Phase II period and the early Siba Culture. 351 features including house foundations, ash pits, pottery kilns and burials were recovered and over 2000 pieces (sets) of artifacts were unearthed, which revealed the origins of Siba Culture and preliminarily established the development sequence of the prehistoric cultures in the Heishui River Valley. The discovery of large amounts of remains and relics of metallurgy provided important materials for the researches on the early metallurgic technologies in Hexi Corridor. The discoveries of barley, wheat, mace head, adobe houses and so on are very meaningful for the explorations to the early cultural communication between the East and the West.